NEWPORT, RI (Day 7) — So many rules! I’ve dialed into the family audio tour at The Breakers in Newport, RI – the Vanderbilt summer “cottage” that at 70 rooms and with a staff of 40 was the largest and most lavish in this seaside playground of the mega rich during the Gilded Age. This is our last day aboard the Norwegian Gem—we return to New York City tomorrow and Newport, famous for its sailing and coastal …
ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN GEM (DAY 6) — It’s never too late to try something new. That’s why sisters Sandy and Stacy Thompson surprised their 72-year–old parents with their first cruise vacation—aboard the Norwegian Gem that is sailing from New York to Nova Scotia. “Just because they are great parents,” aid Sandy Thompson. “I’ve never seen them happier!” The sisters are happy too—especially Stacy, who has left her husband and three kids at home and is having “a …
BAR HARBOR, Maine (Days 4-5) — What luck! The fog was ticker than pea soup when we anchored but when we stepped off the Norwegian Gem in Bar Harbor, ME the sky was blue and the sun shining—no better time to go wish Acadia National Park Happy Birthday. Acadia, which is the eastern-most point in this country and has the bragging rights for the sun coming up first, is also celebrating its centennial this year. In fact, …
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Day 3) — More than 1,000 people came to the toddler’s funeral. But no one knew who he was until nearly 100 years later. He was Body #4 plucked from the icy water 700 miles northeast of Halifax by the crew of the Mackay-Bennett, sent out to recover bodies after the Titanic sank on April 15,1912. The little blonde haired boy, dressed in a grey coat, brown dress and petticoat, as was custom at …
ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN GEM (DAY 2) — Linda Montana and her sister surprised their mom with this cruise on the Norwegian Gem up to Canada to celebrate her 75th birthday. They’ve left husbands and kids behind, and brought along a cousin of their mom. That they don’t have to worry about anyone but themselves on this girl’s trip “is the best part,” said Montana, sitting at the pool in the sunshine. Monica Colistra, meanwhile is traveling with …
NEW York (DAY 1) — No muss, no fuss. It’s almost like sailing from our backyard. We drive from Connecticut into Port NYC, park, check our bags and board the Norwegian Gem. Couldn’t be easier. We are among 8,000 passengers on three ships that are arriving and departing from the port on the West Side of New York but it’s not terribly crowded. And the cost to park for a week—roughly $280—for the four of us is …
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
